Babys playing together in the kindergarten.

The first year of your baby’s life will definitely be a year of firsts. From that moment you deliver to your baby’s first birthday party, your baby is constantly learning and taking in his or her environment. While babies develop at their own pace, most babies hit certain milestones around the same age.

These milestones are just guidelines and your pediatrician will evaluate your baby’s development. If you are concerned that your child is not meeting his or her milestones, talk to your pediatrician.

2-Month Appointment

By their 2-month appointment, most babies:

  • Smile
  • Coo
  • Grasp at objects

4-Month Appointment

By their 4-month appointment, most babies:

  • Laugh
  • Babble
  • Have good head control
  • Attempt to roll
  • Reach for objects
  • Bear weight on legs

6-Month Appointment

By their 6-month appointment, most babies:

  • Recognize familiar faces
  • Babble conversely
  • Roll over both ways
  • Transfer objects hand-to-hand
  • Bounce when held standing

9-Month Appointment

By their 9-month appointment, most babies:

  • Sit alone
  • Make repetitive babble sounds
  • Crawl
  • Pull themselves up to stand
  • Walk while holding on to items, also known as cruising

12-Month Appointment

By their 12-month appointment, most babies:

  • Imitate actions
  • Wave “bye-bye”
  • Start to walk
  • Point specifically at objects
  • Speak one to two words
  • Stand on their own

Remember that not all babies hit their milestones at the same time. Even if you have another child, your baby may take longer to reach certain milestones than your first child or vice versa.

To help your baby grow, the Cherese Mari Laulhere BirthCare Center at MemorialCare Miller Children’s & Women’s Hospital Long Beach encourages you to interact with your child as much as possible. By talking, singing and reading to your child, he or she will learn many different concepts.

Miller Children’s & Women’s is the only hospital in the region to offer programs for expectant mothers, infants, children and young adults under one roof. More than 2,000 women with high-risk pregnancies are treated in the Perinatal Special Care Unit each year. Just down the hall from the Perinatal Special Care Unit is Miller Children’s & Women’s level III (tertiary) NICU. This means, that if a baby needs to go to the NICU immediately following birth, he or she will not need to be transported to another hospital and away from mom.